An editor with years of experience who’s brought out comics to both critical acclaim and best-selling status, Alonso stepped into the chair at the top of Marvel’s Editorial department and since then has been working to bring his signature stylings to the entire Marvel U. Anchored by regular question and answer rounds with the denizens of the CBR Message Boards, each week Alonso will shake things up with special guest stars, exclusive art reveals and more!

“It’s the same basic strategy we used for Marvel NOW!, which is that for a four-month period of time we’re going to be rolling out both new series with new issue #1s and specially branded issues of successful ongoing series where we’ve challenged the writers to present great jumping on points. We think when you see how we’re branding these and how retailers are able to rack these issues, there will be no confusion. People can go, and they’ll know that each week there will be a new entry point into the Marvel Universe.”

On the appeal of Dan Slott and Mike Allred’s “Silver Surfer”

“We were at a retreat, and I mentioned that I really wanted us to do a ‘Silver Surfer’ book. And I was surprised when Dan Slott’s hand shot up, and he was very excited about it and wanted to pitch. Obviously, what he’s done to ‘Spider-Man’ is inject that series with incredible life over the past few years, so I would have been stupid not to hear him out. It was SVP for Publishing Tom Brevoort who came up with Mike Allred, and I think Tom knows you don’t ever need to sell me on Mike Allred – one of my favorite artists [and] a true visionary. So I think what you’ve got here is a book from two creators with very distinct visions on how to make comic books. We’re going to see what their chemistry is like right there on the page. I think if you take one look at that first cover, it’s a statement about what the tone and tenor of that book is going to be.

“I’m very excited about it. I love the Silver Surfer and grew up in California. I used to surf. I always liked him because he was sort of the pacifist hippy riding the airways going ‘Oh woe is me!’ But when he’s backed into a corner, like Bruce Lee, out come the force bolts. So I’ve always loved the way that he’s the opposite of a bully, and he occupies a very unique place not only in the Marvel Universe but also in the cosmos.”

On looking at Nathan Edmondson and Phil Noto’s “Black Widow” as the next “Hawkeye.”

“I don’t think you’d ever say you expect something to be ‘the next Hawkeye.’ It’s like saying you expect something to be the next pet rock…but at the end of the day, what we expect is for this book to bring the same kind of energy to the page. This is a character who is very recognizable to anyone who goes to the movies and really roots her -Â reminder you why she’s in the Marvel Universe. It explores her personal life and her professional life, and I love what these guys are doing. Phil [Noto] and Nathan [Edmondson] are really bringing a Black Widow book that I think is going to appeal to adventurous readers and Marvel Universe fans alike. It’s a grounded series that’s also more global. I think you’ll understand more about Natasha. Much in the same way that part of ‘Hawkeye’ isn’t just about his life in tights but about him having barbecues on his roof, you’ll see similar touches in Black Widow’s life. There’s a reason that our teaser image was called ‘Atonement.’ Because she has a lot to atone for, let’s see how she does it.”